We Are Not Machines
by Jaspilite
Summary: The fight is over, but some people still don't see it that way. As deviants start to get used to their new freedom, somebody arrives and mess everything up. Warnings: Connor/OC, some violence, swearing
1. Home

Hi!

I had a few ideas before starting this story, and I wanted to share them, therefore this story is born from that. I wanted to write something that involved an original character that I named Laure. During this 16 chapter long story, you'll see her side, as well as Connor's. You'll also see how their relationship progress. I don't want to spoil anything, but this story is full of ups and downs. It would mean the world to me if somebody took the time to read it.

Another thing I need to say before you start reading is that English is not my first language, and I corrected everything by myself. You might see some mistakes here and there. I hope it's still readable though.

I'll let you read now, have fun and feel free to leave a comment!

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Chapter 1 – Home

January 2039

It had only been a few months since the android's demonstration. Their peaceful fight had given them their rights and their freedom. For the first time, androids and humans were equal.

After the 12th of November, the deviants had stayed hidden for a while with Markus. The leader had declared that they should wait a little bit before going back. Doing so, also gave humans a little bit of a break and time to absorb everything that had happened. A few days later, the androids that had a place to go afterward left while the others stayed. The last remaining ones were cheerful and enjoyed their new freedom. They all started to talk and know each other a bit better including Markus. They all seemed to be perfectly comfortable with one another, except one of them. One chocolate eyed android who always stayed in the corner of the room and didn't talk to anybody. He simply held his arms close to himself and looked at the ground. He was the only android who still had the small LED on his temple. RK800, or Connor.

Eventually, the other androids started asking questions as to why Connor didn't seem to fit in at all. Markus always had the same answer. "He just needs time." But honestly, Markus couldn't understand Connor's behavior. He had rescued thousand of androids up in the CyberLife tower, shouldn't he be proud of himself, or at least _happy_? Connor also still had his uniform. He still looked just like any normal android. Markus really couldn't understand him.

As the majority left, Markus was surprised to see that Connor was still in his corner. Maybe he didn't have anywhere to go. Leaving his group to talk, he made his way to the deviant and sat down next to him.

"Hey," Markus simply said as an introduction.

Connor looked up at him.

"Hey," he repeated.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Markus asked after a while.

The android took a long pause before speaking in a whisper.

"I don't know. I don't understand," he ended up saying.

"Understand what?"

"Everybody's happy. They all look up to you and they're overjoyed by their freedom, but even though I'm happy that it all worked out in the end, I don't feel like I have quite the same feeling towards all of this," Connor explained slowly. "I feel all these emotions, but at the same time, I don't feel anything. I don't understand what's wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you, Connor. Maybe you just need a little bit more time to adapt. You were built to hunt down deviants so maybe it's harder for you to become one."

"Maybe…"

Both were silent for a few minutes as Connor continued to look down. Markus was the one speaking first.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked carefully.

"I… I'm not sure. There is one place, but I am not certain that he'll accept to have me stay with him," Connor sighed.

"Your owner?"

"I guess you could say that."

"You can stay here as long as you wish, Connor. You are one of us and we'll be there if you need anything."

"Thank you, Markus."

"No problem," the deviant said before standing up and walking back to North, Josh, and Simon.

North looked up from where she was sitting as Markus walked towards them.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He's seem conflicted as if the deviancy was only partial in his programming," Markus tried to explain.

"Is he dangerous?" Josh asked.

"No, I don't think so."

At the same time, they heard the door open slowly. Standing up, the group walked to the door carefully. A man walked out, followed by a dog on a leach.

"Hi, who are you?" Markus asked the man.

"Hank Anderson, I'm looking for someone and I was told that this is where you all were. He's probably here," the man said.

He let the dog take a step forward before dropping the leach.

"C'mon Sumo, found him," he simply said with a small smirk.

"Who exactly are you looking for?" North asked as she took a step forward.

Hank didn't have time to answer before they heard another voice behind them.

"Sumo. Hey boy," the voice said.

Hank smiled as he walked to his dog. "Him," he simply said before kneeling to pet Sumo.

"Long time so see, Connor."

"Hello, Lieutenant," the android said as he kept petting the dog and scratching his ears.

"Whatcha doing here, anyway?"

"I… didn't know where to go," Connor said in a whisper.

"Well you do now, c'mon kid, we're going home," Hank said as he stood up.

" _Home_?" Connor whispered after a few seconds.

Hank gave him a smile before walking away. The android stood up as well and held the leach in his hand as he followed Hank. He said goodbye to the group before exiting the building.

The car ride was pleasant. Connor was looking out the window and sometimes reaching backward to pet Sumo's head. All throughout the ride, Connor kept thinking about what Hank had said. We're going _home_. Had he really meant that?

Arrived at Hank's house, they opened the doors for Sumo to get out and headed inside. After grabbing a beer in the fridge, Hank walked next to Connor who was still standing by the door.

"Hey, kid. Were you planning on staying at the door all day? C'mon, I want to show you something," Hank said as he walked to his room.

He pointed the door on the wall between Hank's bedroom and the bathroom and shrugged.

"It's not much but I figured if you were gonna stay here, might as well have a room for you. I cleaned it up for the first time since… yeah well anyway, it's yours now so… go in," Hank said as he opened the door.

For the first time since Cole's death. This used to be Cole's room, Hank was giving him his son's room. Connor walked inside and looked around. It looked a lot like Hank's room but warmer. On the bed was a box badly wrapped with a piece of paper on top. The android walked to it and took the sheet of paper in his hands.

WELCOME HOME, CONNOR

A smile appeared on his face as he noticed the small drawings on the corner of the page.

"I was probably drunk," Hank said as he understood what Connor was looking at.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Connor said as he turned around.

"Hank. Might as well you start calling me by my name," he replied. "Now open the box, I tried to wrap it up, but gave up halfway."

Connor smiled as he nodded and took the box. He unwrapped it carefully and looked inside. He tilted his head slightly.

"Clothes?" he said, confused.

"Androids are free now. That's a good reason to get rid of this stupid looking CyberLife uniform. I hope I got the sizes right," Hank explained.

Sumo, who had followed them inside the room, barked as he looked at Connor. The android smiled as he rubbed the dog's big head. After putting the box down on the bed, Connor turned around to Hank and gave him a smile. Hank sighed as he placed his hand on Connor's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. He smiled as Connor hugged him back and whispered.

"Welcome home, son."


	2. Threat

Chapter 2 – Threat

May 2039

It had been a couple of months since Connor had moved in and he was starting to understand the concept of being _home_. Back at their base, he knew that he had everything to assure his safety and survival, but it didn't feel like a home, it just felt like a base. Now, as he stepped inside the house and was welcomed by Sumo, he really felt at home. It was a nice feeling for once. Connor really cherished those. Even now, good feelings and emotions weren't something he was used to.

Hank had asked him about it a few weeks prior. It had taken a day or two for Connor to answer him, but he eventually did as best he could.

"The other androids are buying themselves houses, finding partners, being happy, and enjoying life. Don't get me wrong, I really like staying here, and I'm happy to be part of this little family, but it's like something is missing within me. As if when I deviated, I didn't completely. All I feel is doubt. I know I made the right choice as to deviate but it's like my program still tells me that I should have followed my orders. That I should still follow them… Maybe it has something to do with the fact that while the others completely stopped to see orders as priorities, I didn't. If somebody asks me something, my program still sees it as an order. And even though I broke my programming wall, I can still see the garden when I shut down."

"You're saying that your program is not actually letting you deviate?" Hank asked.

Connor nodded.

"I am able to make choices, to feel emotions, to think for myself, but I still don't feel… free," he added.

"Do you think you being a prototype has something to do with this? And, you did tell me that they had planned for you to deviate before."

Back in November of last year, during Markus' speech, Connor had found himself back in the garden with Amanda. There, she had told him that it had all went according to their plan and that he had achieved his mission. If he hadn't found the emergency exit, Markus would have probably been dead by now. Exiting his program, Connor thought that he had been done with the garden, with Amanda and he was partly right. He still went to the garden, but he hadn't seen Amanda since then.

"Maybe there's like a second wall, or whatever, you need to break?" Hank added.

"I don't know."

The conversation had ended there since Hank's phone had started ringing, but Connor still had Hank's idea in the back of his mind. Maybe he did need to break through the codes again. Maybe Markus was right, and he just needed a little bit of time. Maybe it would all make sense in the end. For a moment, Connor felt a new emotion. One that he had been waiting for a bit. Hope.

XXX

The android hid his face in Sumo's fur as he sat on the floor next to the Saint-Bernard. The dog licked his face as he turned, and Connor laughed as he pulled Sumo in his arms to pet his back.

"Good dog," he said as he reached for the ball.

Connor stood up and threw the ball towards the bathroom. Sumo walked after it lazily before bringing back the same way. The android smiled as he threw it again.

"Go, boy."

This time Sumo laid down and put one of his paws on top of the other. He looked up at Connor and barked.

"Are you tired, Sumo?" Connor asked before kneeling and petting the dog's head.

Sumo barked as to answer. At the same moment, Connor heard Hank's phone ringing. The Lieutenant had gone to get a burger at the Chicken Feed and had forgotten his phone again. He recognized Captain Jeffrey Fowler's number and picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Connor. Lieutenant Anderson is not here at the moment," Connor said as he straightened up his back.

"It's fine, I wanted to talk to you, Connor. You should watch the news," the captain said.

"Oh, alright," Connor replied, unsure.

"That's all, goodbye Connor."

"Have a nice day, Captain."

Connor put the phone down and walked to the television. He sat on the couch and pat the side. Sumo jumped and put his head on Connor's lap before the android opened the television and went to the news channel.

He listened with a frown as the lady talked about how people had started to protest against android's rights. The people had seemed understanding and supportive of their rights before, now they just seemed completely against it. Some were claiming that giving full freedom to androids would cause them to take over humanity, and compared to Markus, they were apparently not going to go peacefully about it.

Sumo whined as Connor stopped petting him. The android looked down and sighed.

"Humans are hard to understand sometimes, don't you think?"

The front door opened, and Connor nodded at Hank as he came out the door. The Lieutenant eyes traveled to the television and shook his head.

"Crazy fuckers, they are about to start another civil war. Their leader just announced on the radio that he demands androids to give up their rights," Hank said before sitting down in his chair.

Just as he said it, the news lady looked straight into the camera with a scared look on her face. She explained what Hank had just said before taking a deep breath. A new screen appeared next to her and showed a man all dressed in black with hundreds of androids behind him. All of them still had their LED even though they weren't wearing their usual CyberLife uniforms. He started talking in a deep and angry voice.

"I have with me the remaining functioning androids, behind me is a small example. Now, our people order the deviants to surrender. Machines should and will not have the same rights as humans. Those behind me understand that. TS300, explain," he said as he pointed an android next to him.

"Deviants are only androids who have errors in their software, it is only a matter of time before they turn again and starts murdering humans or other androids. Humans need to destroy the threat and we are programmed to obey and help the cause," the young-looking android explained.

"If you want to help the cause, join us. My androids are easily spotted, they are the only ones with their LED still in place, the only order I've given them is to destroy deviants," the man said before the screen went back to the news lady.

Connor looked down at Sumo. He was shaking, and his LED was spinning rapidly from yellow to red. It was Hank's hand on his shoulder that brought him back to reality.

"Connor, it's time you get rid of your LED," Hank stated.

Connor shook his head quickly. He didn't know why he felt so attached to it, but he couldn't pull out the LED on the side of his head. It was part of him, he couldn't get _rid of it_. He just couldn't.

"I can't…" he whispered.

"Do you want your people to think you're with _them_?" Hank asked.

"Of course not," Connor said quickly, his LED spinning red.

"Good, then I'll go get some scissors."

Panicking, Connor stood up and ran in front of Hank. He shook his head rapidly.

"I can hide it," Connor proposed.

"Listen, son. I know you don't want this, but it's for your own good. I am not letting you get killed by your own people because of a stupid mood disc on your damn temple."

Hank pushed past Connor and went straight for the kitchen. The android looked down as he tried to clear his mind. He knew his thoughts were irrational, but he couldn't help it. The little spinning disc was an indicator of what he was. He had met his friends and family because he was an android. He couldn't just destroy the last proof of that. He didn't want to erase his past, it showed him what he had gone through. It was the bridge he knew not to cross. It was a reminder that he was better than this. Destroying the last visible android part of him felt as if he completely erased himself from the world. As if he didn't mean anything anymore. As if he was nothing. However, if he kept his LED, he would be considered a threat to his people. Could he really risk it?

Connor sat on the couch next to Sumo and closed his chocolate eyes. When he opened them, a pair of scissors was handed to him.


	3. Laure

Hi!

I'm so happy that people like this story so far. It really means a lot to me! Also, I wasn't able to reply to the reviews until now so I'm sorry that it took quite some time for me to reply. Thank you a lot for the nice messages!

With that said, thanks for reading!

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Chapter 3 – Laure

May 2039

Her ocean blue eyes looked over the screen and closed slowly. She couldn't believe it. After all their fighting, androids were probably still going to lose their freedom. She couldn't believe how cruel the world was towards them. The news kept going as different people popped up on the screen. Another fight had now begun, and despite everything that had happened to her, she had still chosen her side. She was with the deviants and would do anything to save them.

XXX

"Really, Hank… I could wear a hat," Connor said as he looked at the scissors.

"I never really understood why you kept it in the first place…" Hank said, lost in thoughts.

Connor sighed shakily as he began to explain. At the end of his speech, he kept his eyes closed and didn't dare look at Hank. The older man put a hand on his shoulder.

"You are somebody, Connor. That LED doesn't define you, you do that yourself. You are a friend, Connor. You're… You're my family…" the last part was so quiet, Connor thought that maybe he had imagined it.

Connor finally looked up after a few moments. He pointed the scissors towards Hank with a shaky hand.

"Could you do it?" he whispered. "Please?"

Hank nodded slowly. He sat next to Connor and held the scissors tightly in his hands. Connor started petting Sumo and scratching his ears. The dog barked softly. Hank looked at the android for a second before sliding the tip of the scissor bellow the small disk. Connor seemed terrified and it broke Hank's heart to see him like this.

"Alright, kid. Three, two, one…" Hank counted before turning the scissors quickly.

The LED fell on the floor at the same time as a tear fell down Connor's cheek.

"You alright, son?" Hank asked as softly as he could.

"Ye… yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay."

"You're crying."

"I am?" Connor asked as he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand.

He looked down at his hand before turning back to Hank. The older man smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

"It'll be alright, Connor," Hank told him as he patted his back.

The android sniffed as he nuzzled his face into Hank's neck and held him tighter. Hank sighed softly. Connor reminded him so much of Cole at times, it was scary. After a while of holding him, Hank had finally let Connor go.

"Maybe you should shut down a small bit. Rebuild your energy," Hank said. "I have a feeling that this took a lot out of you."

Connor nodded as he stood up and walked to his room. Sumo followed him closely while Hank was left alone with the television. He could only wait and see how Connor would react the next day. For now, all he could do was hope that this didn't start a civil war between humans, androids, and deviants.

XXX

She stared outside the window as the bus traveled through the city. Children were walking with their parents, and civilians were walking from places to places. Everything seemed almost normal. Then, she noticed them. They were easy to detect indeed. All wearing the same black suit, with their LED visible to everybody. She was sad for them. Those androids would probably never have the chance to wake up. Never have the chance to experience life. She couldn't believe that she used to build them like this. She had quit CyberLife for good when the androids had started to become deviants. Back then, she had understood that what she was doing was wrong. Building machines and forcing them to obey every single order was wrong. She understood that she was basically creating slaves for humans to use as a toy. The realization had hit hard, but it had made her see how wrong CyberLife was. Sure, androids were making human lives easier, but at what cost? Androids deserved the same rights and freedom as humans. Why couldn't people see it?

"Laure Smith. I've heard a lot of things about you," a voice said behind her, bringing her back to reality.

It was _him_. She would recognize his voice anywhere.

"I won't join you if that's what you're asking," she said coldly without looking at him.

"You think, I'm giving you a choice? I am not working alone on this. I have CyberLife behind me, and _they_ want you, sweetheart" he said in a deep voice.

"Don't you dare call me that," she replied quickly. "Why would CyberLife want me to help you?"

"You know your way around androids. You might be able to gain control of them again. I know where you stand in all of this, but I do have a deal for you."

"I don't want anything to do with a sack of shit like you."

"The deal is that if you help us take control of the deviants, there will be no civil war, there will be no fighting," he proposed.

"Let me make you a deal as well. Either you get the fuck out of here, or you'll be missing teeth tomorrow," she said as she stood up and held onto the seat.

"Bold move, sweetheart. I'm guessing you refuse my deal?" he replied calmly.

She stared at him with cold eyes. The man only started laughing.

"I'll see you on the battlefield then," he said.

He left the bus a moment after and left Laure alone with her thoughts. They were no way she could have accepted the deal. Looking down, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. This was going to be a long night.


	4. Victim

Chapter 4 – Victim

May 2039

Connor looked in the mirror and sighed. He looked completely human with his one size too big hoodie, his jeans, and sneakers. Without his LED, he was just… normal. He didn't look like the RK800 that would do anything for the mission, he looked like… _Connor_. The lost deviant who was still searching for himself.

Being a prototype made him feel even more alone. There weren't any other RK800 models out there. They had stopped making parts for him when he deviated, therefore, he was the last one. This was a scary thought though if something happened to him, that was it. They weren't anything to repair him with, and if he went back to CyberLife, they would just deactivate him. Hank had told him that it made him more human because he only had one life now, but Connor couldn't help being scared. He didn't want to die. He had felt it before he deviated, but now it was even stronger. Connor was scared of dying.

He exited his room a few moments ago and walked to the kitchen where Hank was sitting at the table.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," Connor greeted him.

"Morning," Hank replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Connor lied.

Hank nodded before standing up.

"Ready for a new case? Fowler called."

Connor nodded as he petted Sumo's head. Both walked out of the house and got into Hank's car. Arrived at the police precinct, Connor stopped for a second.

"What's wrong?" Hank asked him.

"Do you have a coin?" Connor asked calmly.

"Not this shit again… Alright, I'll give you one if you promise not to annoy the shit out of me right away," Hank stated.

Connor nodded with a small smile. Once the android finally had a coin in his hand he flipped it once before putting it in his pocket. Hank shook his head as he kept walking. They went into Fowler's office a few moments after.

They had been given another deviant case. But this time, the deviant was the victim. The deviant had been assaulted on her way back to her house by another android. A woman told the authorities that she had seen the android with wires in his hands before fleeing. Connor and Hank were sent to investigate.

Arrived, Connor had to take a deep breath before stepping into the crime scene. Hank waited for him while looking around. The deviants had been dismantled. Wires and metal plates were scattered all around the victim in a pool of blue blood.

Connor walked next to the body a few moments later and started analyzing different clues. He turned to Hank with a frightened look on his face.

"It's as if the android tried to reprogram them but fail horribly. She didn't stand a chance against her opponent," he explained.

"So, they already started attacking the deviants, huh?" Hank said.

Connor was silent for a long time before Hank shook his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"We should probably go talk to Markus. We can't just let deviants die like this."

Hank nodded once. They finished all they had to do on the crime scene and walked back to the car.

XXX

Laure was walking down the street when she heard the news about the deviant. She couldn't help but feel a small bit guilty but didn't stop on the thought. She needed to find the android who had kill the poor girl. She needed to find any android. If she could put her hand on one of them, she could have access to their memory and probably find out more about their plan.

The woman walked slowly with a hand close to her gun. She had created special bullets for the occasion. They would act as a tranquilizer for the android and give her enough time to work. Once she discovered what she needed, maybe she would be able to wake the android up and make them a deviant. This way, she could give him a new life. If her plan worked, the deviants would outnumber the other androids and CyberLife's plan would go down. But for all of that to happen, she needed to find an android quickly. If _he_ had already started his plan, she needed to as well. Apparently, today was her lucky day.

L aure heard a scream coming from the left and started running towards the sound. She soon arrived at the scene where two androids were fighting. She took out her gun when she saw the black suit and took a deep breath before shooting. The android fell on their knees and stopped moving a second later. The deviant, in front of them, was breathing heavily. The deviant looked like a younger model, his function was probably taking care of younger children or being some sort of brother to them. Laure ran to him and put her hand on his shoulder. The deviant looked up with tears in his eyes.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Laure asked.

The deviant shook his head and a few strands of blond hair fell in front of his face. Laure nodded slowly.

"Stay with me, then. I'll bring you somewhere safe after I finished this," she said before turning around and grabbing the android's arm.

She lifted him and started walking away. The teen was soon following her.

"What's your name?" she asked him as she kept walking.

The teen took a deep breath before answering.

"People call me Joel," he whispered.

"Well, Joel you don't have to be scared. I just want some information from this android, then it'll be over."

Joel nodded slowly as he followed. Laure finally arrived in an alley where nobody was walking and put the android down on the ground in front of her. She deactivated his skin and took out the metal plate on the back of his head. Plugging a USB, she scanned his memory. Once that was done, she worked a little bit with wires and reset him. She activated his skin again once everything was done and took out the LED on his temple. The android opened his eyes slowly after a while and looked at Laure.

"Hi, you're free now," she whispered.

The android stared at her before smiling. He stood up and left the alley with a new smile on his face. Joel looked at Laure shyly and smiled.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I reset his memory, CyberLife can't control him anymore," she explained.

"You're one of us, even though you're human," the teen replied.

Laure simply smiled as she stood up.

"I want to help you," Joel confidently said.

Laure nodded once before walking back on the street. Joel followed her with determination in his eyes.

"Where are we going?"

"Have you met Markus?" Laure asked.

"The one who saved us? No, I haven't."

"Well, you're going to meet him soon."

"Do you know where he is?" Joel asked.

"No… But if we ask around enough, somebody must know where he is," Laure said with a smile.

Joel copied her expression and kept walking next to her. Now, where could the deviant leader be?


	5. Markus

Chapter 5 – Markus

May 2039

It had taken a few hours of asking people to finally know where the famous Markus was. Laure and Joel were now on their way to his apartment. Sitting on the bus, Joel was looking around and staring out the window while Laure couldn't keep her mind off the small USB in her pocket. She had decided to show it to Markus and watch it there if he let her in. If she could work with him, maybe the plan would function. She seriously hoped so. Laure also wanted to meet with Markus to discuss his ideas on what was going on. Who knows, maybe he already had a better plan to stop a civil war from happening. For now, she could only wait.

XXX

Connor made the coin roll on top of his knuckles for a bit, while Hank drove to Markus' apartment. Markus had come to visit him and Hank a few months prior after Hank had come get him, and he had told Connor where he was living. They didn't talk a lot to each other, but Connor still felt a great friendship between them.

As soon as they arrived, Markus was already outside, as if he was waiting for them. North was by his side and greeted Connor as he walked towards them. Hank followed without saying a word.

"Hello, Markus, North," Connor said with a smile.

"Good to see you, Connor," Markus said.

"Good to see you too. I was wondering if you heard the news," Connor replied.

"Of course, there has also been a murder this morning."

"That's where we just were. I wanted to ask you if you had any plans. We can't let our people die."

"You are right, but I don't really know what we could do about it. If _he_ has CyberLife with him, we can't really stop him."

"There's got to be a way," Connor said quickly.

"Why don't you two come inside," North said to break the silence.

Connor and Hank nodded before following the two androids inside their house. They sat down and started talking about what kind of approach they could and couldn't use. The discussion lasted a few hours before they heard a soft knock on the door. The four of them looked at each other in silence. Connor and Hank reached for their gun while Markus walked to the door. He opened it slowly and frowned.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're Markus, right? We'd like to talk to you," Laure said with a smile.

XXX

Connor, Hank, and North were standing up around Markus, Laure, and Joel who were sitting at the table. The tension was still in the air, but Laure quickly started introducing herself to the group.

"My name's Laure Smith, I used to work for CyberLife. My job was to create new models, but I quit after the first case of deviancy happened," she explained slowly.

"I'm Joel… I, um," the teen started as he looked up to Markus. "I'm sorry, I never actually thought I'd get to meet the one who saved us all," he said as he looked down at his hands.

Markus gave him a small smile as he put a hand on the teen's shoulder. Encouraging Joel to keep going.

"Right, I was walking on the street and got attacked by another android. Laure saved me, and I am here to help," he finally said.

"How did you do that?" Markus asked.

Laure reached for her gun and placed it on the table gently. She noticed Connor who reached for his own and quickly explained.

"Inside are special bullets I created. As I said my job was to create new models, therefore I know a bit about how androids work. These bullets were made specifically to sedate androids. It doesn't do anything to humans. After shooting him, I was able to retrieve his memory. After that, I told him he was free and let him go. He doesn't have any memory of what happened. I thought it was the best approach."

"Impressive, can I ask you how they work?" Markus asked.

"At contact, it sends a shock in the android's body which shut them down for a short time," Laure told him as she took the USB from her pocket. "Here's his memory, I haven't watched it yet."

Markus nodded as he took the USB and walked to the television in the back of the room. He played it and told everybody to join.

The man who had passed on tv and tried to make a deal with Laure was there. A name could be heard. Vincent Graves. They could see the CyberLife tower and rows of androids all wearing the same black suit. Vincent was in front of the android and was talking about the _"Deviant_ _Plan"_. A clear sentence could be heard. "Destroy every deviant." Then the memory stopped.

They stayed silent for a moment before Markus turned to Laure. He thanked her before introducing himself for the first time.

"We forgot to even introduce ourselves to you, I'm sorry. I'm Markus, but you already knew that," he said with a smile.

"I'm North, nice to meet you."

"My name is Connor."

"Hank Anderson."

"You helped us quite a lot there, thank you again," Markus started as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Would it be too much to ask for your help?"

"Of course not, that's why I'm here," Laure smiled.

They stayed silent for a second before they heard a phone ringing once. Hank took out his phone and looked at the screen. He quickly looked at Connor and sighed.

"There was another murder," he said to everybody. "We're on the case, kid," he said as he turned to Connor.

"Can I come with?" Laure asked quickly.

"I don't know if you are allow-" Connor said before getting cut by Hank.

"Yeah, sure. C'mon."

Connor closed his mouth and gave her a small smile as he moved out of the way to let her pass. Laure turned to Joel as he told her he would stay with Markus and North. The rest of the group told them that they would warn the other deviants while Laure, Connor, and Hank were gone.

Outside, Laure opened the backseat door and stepped in while Connor sat shotgun as always. Once they were on the road, Laure tapped on Connor's shoulder softly.

"Can I ask you something, Connor?"

The deviant nodded as he looked backward at her.

"What model are you?" she asked carefully.

"RK800. I'm a prototype," he answered.

She nodded with a smile.

"Why do you want to know?" Connor asked right after.

"The RK800 was my idea. I wanted to create an android who could help with crime scenes. Never got to work on them since I quit back in March last year. I had no clue they actually built you," she explained. "Before you deviated, what exactly was your function?"

"I was built to hunt down deviants."

"Figured," she said before laughing. "Their deviant hunter became a deviant, that's awesome."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked, unsure.

"It's like the biggest "fuck you" to CyberLife ever," she laughed.

Connor tilted his head to the side as Hank started laughing quietly.

"You don't like CyberLife all that much, do you?" Connor asked after they had stopped laughing.

"Hate them," she simply said. "While creating androids, they created living beings. They made a new species, but they can't understand that."

Connor nodded as he turned around. He smiled to himself as he heard her speak about androids. Surprisingly, the only person he had heard talk about androids like they talked about normal people was Hank. It was nice to hear that some humans were on their side.


	6. Connor

Chapter 6 – Connor

May 2039

Connor watched Laure carefully as she walked towards the deviant's body. She kneeled and sighed as a disgusted look appeared on her face.

"Look at this mess…" she whispered. "Connor, could you come here?"

The android nodded once before kneeling next to her. He looked where she was pointing without saying anything.

"Could you scan the inside, please?" she asked politely.

Connor quickly did as he was told and turned his head. He explained how someone, or something had moved wires around as if they were looking for something inside the deviant or trying to change the programming.

"They are trying to reset them. Vincent sent his androids to try and find out how to reset deviants, he doesn't care if they die…" Laure whispered. "The worst part is that he probably thinks he's doing humans a favor."

Laure placed a hand on the deviant's cheek for a moment and looked at him with a pained look.

"None of you deceive this," she said. "You are people, you deceive to live."

Connor stared at her for a moment. He felt his chest starting to heat up a small bit but didn't understood why. He felt warm as she spoke about androids. She really seemed to care for them. Lost in thoughts, Connor didn't even realize that Laure had stood up. He quickly followed and started to look around. His eyes stopped on Laure for a moment. Her long auburn hair fell down her back and moved ever so slightly with the wind as she talked to Hank. Connor couldn't help but noticed how pretty she was. He felt the warmth in his chest again as he thought about her. What was happening to him?

"Connor, you're alright?"

The android suddenly looked up to see that Hank was talking to him. He nodded and gave him a small smile.

"You ready to go?" Hank asked him.

"Yes, Lieutenant."

They walked back to the car and sat down. Hank drove them to the Chicken Feed. Laure smiled as she walked out. She got a soda, while Hank took the usual. Connor followed and stood next to them while both talked.

Her blue eyes lit up when she talked about something she liked, and her laugh was soft. She hid her face behind her hand when she laughed. Connor soon noticed how much she talked with her hands and how she couldn't stay in one place. Connor smiled as he looked down. He didn't understand what he was feeling, but it didn't feel half bad.

Looking up again, Connor noticed that Hank was getting a little bit tired of all the energy. The Lieutenant finished his burger before pointing to his car.

"I'm going to send a report, you two kids wait here," Hank said before leaving.

Once Connor and Laure were left alone she started laughing softly.

"Looks like he got tired of me," she whispered.

"He is certainly not used to this much energy," Connor stated.

"Probably," she laughed. "Can I ask you a question, Connor?"

"Go ahead."

"How does it feel? For an android to be free. You see, as humans, we were born free, so I was wondering what it felt to _gain_ freedom," she asked.

"You're not asking the best deviant, I still haven't figured that out," Connor answered.

The smile left her face as she frowned. Laure waited for a second before speaking up.

"What do you mean?"

"I just feel like I… don't belong," Connor ended up saying.

"Of course, you belong, Connor. You're one of the most advanced android there is. Hank told me stories of things you did, you are amazing, Connor. You are one of them. You are _someone_ and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. You deceive to be happy."

"Th… Thank you, Laure."

She gave him a big smile before they heard Hank shout of them to get back in the car and something about being tired.

"Connor," Laure stopped him. "If anything happens, let me know okay?"

Connor nodded once before joining Hank in the car.

XXX

Laure stared at the ceiling of her room as she laid on her bed. As she closed her eyes, she could see chocolate brown eyes looking back at her and it made her smile. She hadn't felt like this in a long time and it felt good.

Connor was such an interesting android. He wasn't like the other deviants she had known. Hell, he was completely different from them. She couldn't help but wonder why he was this way. Could it be something to do with his software? Laure didn't know. All she knew was that Connor was cute, nice, handsome…

The good thoughts which were filling her head followed her in her sleep until she remembered Vincent. Connor was a deviant, and a detective. If there was one android who could get hurt easily, it was him since he was always in the line of sight. She opened her eyes quickly as she felt her phone vibrate next to her. She looked at the screen and a shiver traveled through her body.

 _If you think stopping one of my androids is going to stop me, you are wrong, sweetheart. Deviants. Will. Die. - Vincent_

She wondered for a moment how Vincent got her phone number but soon realized how. Both worked at CyberLife once, he just had needed to go look through the folders. She took a deep breath before putting her phone face down and going back to sleep. One last thought came to her mind before she fell asleep. Vincent wouldn't hurt her new friends, she would make sure of it.


	7. Tranquility

Chapter 7 – Tranquility

June 2039

Today was a just another peaceful day. It had been a few weeks since Vincent had ordered any more of his androids to kill deviants. Laure and Connor had started hanging out from time to time, and Connor found it rather enjoyable to be with her. The deviant was sitting on the couch while petting Sumo's head. The dog was softly sleeping on Connor's lap. Sitting in his chair, Hank was watching Connor subtly. The news was softly playing in the background for a while. Hank smiled as he closed his eyes and let his head rest on the back of his chair.

It could have been a minute, or an hour Hank didn't know, but as he heard a knock on the door, he stood up, followed by Connor. Sumo went in the corner of the living room and laid down while Hank went and opened the door.

Laure was waiting behind the door with a smile on her face. Hank let her in after saying hi and went back to his chair.

"I was wondering if you could teach me something," Laure said as she looked at both men. "I want to be able to shoot if I need too but my precision is not the best. Maybe you two could help me? Being cops and all."

Hank smirked.

"How about you go, Connor? You haven't left the house since a bit, taking some fresh air will do you some good," he proposed.

Connor nodded with a small smile.

"I could teach you," he said happily.

"There's a shooting range close to the police precinct," Hank told them.

Laure nodded as she walked to the door with a smile. Connor followed like a puppy and closed the door behind him.

XXX

Laure was pretty good at shooting. Connor had simply told her a few tricks and she had gotten them quite fast. He was impressed.

"I have the best teacher," she said laughing.

Connor smiled as he helped her position herself. He held out her arm and explained what she was doing wrong as they went. Pushing her body closer to his, she focused on the target and shot.

"Got it!"

Connor moved away as he felt the familiar warmth travel his chest again. He nodded to her before telling her another trick to be faster. She executed herself quickly and looked back at Connor who simply smiled.

Once that was done, they walked out of the police station but kept walking on the sidewalk for a little bit. It was calming. Connor was enjoying himself. Walking next to her and watching as her eyes caught something was calming. It gave Connor a peaceful feeling.

"Thanks for helping back there, I really enjoyed it," Laure told him after a while.

Both had reached a beautiful park and were now sitting on the bench. Laure sat close to Connor and let her head slowly rest on the deviant's shoulder. She closed her eyes.

Connor couldn't move. He had no idea what to do and his stress level was slowly increasing at the same time as his body temperature. He stayed in the same position for a while, until she lifted her head. She turned to him and he felt heat travel up to his cheeks.

"I really like hanging out with you, Connor. I want you to know and remember that you are an amazing person. I know sometimes emotions can be hard and you can feel doubt, but _I_ believe in you," she said.

"Th… Thank you, Laure. A lot," he replied.

"There's no problem, buddy," she said as she turned again. "Maybe we should get you back to your house, it's getting late."

"I agree, it'll be dark soon," Connor said as he stood up.

They took the bus and rode back to Connor and Hank's house. He gave her a smile and left the bus while she stayed behind with a sad look on her face. She couldn't help but being a little disappointed each time she saw Connor leave. She was really starting to fall for him, but she knew that he could never love her back. She wasn't anything special, why would he even be interested? Traveling back home, she looked down at her shoes.

XXX

Connor and Laure were walking back to the parc they went to for a few days now. It had become a habit of theirs. Sitting on the same bench, they sat close to each other and watched as people walked around the parc. It was a peaceful moment that they loved sharing together. If they didn't walk there together, they would take different busses and would arrive at the same time and meet on the bench. Connor had become used to Laure resting her head on his shoulder. He liked the warm feeling he felt each time she was around and noticed that each time she touched him the feeling got more intense.

Even today, as Connor watched her ocean eyes lit up each time a bird would fly close to her and land on a branch nearby, he couldn't help but stare at her. Squirrels would something run past her legs and she would stare as the small animal made his way back home.

"Connor?"

Her voice made him come back to reality. He blinked a few times before smiling at her.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Is everything alright? You were staring," she replied with a big smile.

Connor thought about what he was going to say for a short moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?" he ended up saying.

Her cheeks changed to a bright red color and she looked down to hide her face. Had he said something wrong? Why was she doing this? Panicking, Connor touched her shoulder softly.

"Well, have I ever told you how handsome you are?" she finally replied.

"Oh, um… no, you have not," Connor struggled to say.

Laure smiled and reached for his hand. She held it in her own for a moment before looking up at Connor. Her blue eyes stared right into his brown ones for a long moment.

The deviant could feel his stress level increasing rapidly as he looked into her beautiful eyes. He tried to scan her, but his scanners seemed to be malfunctioning. He had difficulties to think. All he could do was… feel. So many emotions came rushing through him, and he didn't know if they were good or bad. He felt stressed, tense… scared. Laure moved her hand slowly and intertwined her fingers with his. Connor squeezed her hand softly.

"Connor… I wanted to tell you something," she started. "I know you don't really understand feelings and emotions all that well yet, but I just wanted you to know… that I… um. How could I say it? Connor, I really li-" she was cut mid-sentence by a loud noise coming from behind them.

Everything happened so fast. Connor stood up and pushed Laure behind him, protecting her while he reached for his gun. Standing up behind Connor, Laure saw the other android, but it was too late. The android had already shot, and Connor was already falling backward in her arms. Quickly, Laure took Connor's gun while holding him with her other arm and shot. The android's head moved back as the bullet went through his metal skull and slowly fell on his knees, shutting down right away.

"Laure… help," Connor groaned weakly.

Laure looked down as she held Connor in her arms and pressed her hand on the bullet wound on his chest. Blue blood covered her hands quickly.

"Laure… shutting… down," he whispered.

"Hold on!" she screamed as she reached for her phone. Once the other line answered she started yelling. "Hank come get us quick, we're at the parc!"

Looking down at Connor, tears started falling down her face.

"Connor wake up!" she said, slapping him. "Connor. Connor!"


	8. Shut down

Chapter 8 – Shut down

June 2039

The deviant opened his chocolate eyes slowly and blinked a few times. The Zen garden was different from the last time he'd seen it. It seemed wrong, broken… dead. Groaning, Connor managed to stand up and look around. The trees were dying and so were the flowers. The water was dark grey and the small boat that was floating above the water was destroyed and slowly sinking.

Walking around, Connor suddenly remembered why he was here. He had been shot by another android. Laure had been there. Was she safe? Was he going to shut down? Connor kneeled next to the glowing stone and put his hands on his head. Did he die? Was this it? Was this the end? A single tear fell down his face and he did nothing to stop it. The deviant didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave all the people he cared about, he hadn't even got the chance to say goodbye. He wouldn't see Sumo anymore, or Laure… or Hank. He hadn't even got the chance to hug his family for the last time.

Connor was right next to the emergency exit, he just had to put his hand on the glowing handprint and go back, but truth was, he couldn't do it. It was as if something was keeping him from leaving. Connor wanted to go, to see his family again, but his body didn't let him. He wasn't the one in control.

XXX

"I'll get the generator, it'll be more powerful than a car battery," Hank quickly said as he ran in the garage.

Laure nodded quickly as she moved things around while keeping an eye on Connor. They had put the car right in front of the door and had plugged Connor to the battery of Hank's car, but it wouldn't take long until it was out of power.

It took a few precious minutes for Hank to arrive and she plugged the android to it and sighed. She didn't have her equipment with her and it bothered her since she couldn't scan him to know how he was doing. Laure needed her equipment, now.

"Hank, could you watch over him? Make sure the generator still has power. I'll take the bus home, get my stuff, and come back as soon as I can," she asked.

"Are you going to be able to fix him?" Hank asked, softly.

Laure nodded as she ran outside, leaving Hank with Connor's body. The Lieutenant sat down next to the android and sighed.

"God, I'm so sorry, kid," he whispered. "We will fix you, Connor, I won't lose another son." Hank looked down and shook his head. "You're going to be fine. I promise. We just need to hold on a little longer. You'll be alright, Connor. You'll be all back to normal in just a few minutes."

Hank kept talking for a while. He didn't even know if Connor could hear him, but he still talked. The Lieutenant didn't want him to be alone. Connor being a prototype was one of the best and the worst thing about him. It made him unique and it gave him a boost to build his own future since he was the only _Connor_ left. There was no model like him, but again, he was the only RK800. Which meant that there weren't any parts for him anywhere. If Laure couldn't build him the bio-components he needed, it would be the end. Connor would die.

XXX

Hank was with him, he could hear his voice echoing from far away. Connor closed his eyes as he listened to the Lieutenant. It calmed him down quite a bit.

"Hello, Connor," he suddenly heard right in front of him.

Opening his eyes, he gasped as he saw Amanda. This couldn't be right, he had deviated, he shouldn't be able to see Amanda anymore. How could she be here when everything around was destroyed?

"Amanda?" Connor whispered, unsure.

"You're shutting down," she stated with a cold voice.

"Laure and Hank will save me," Connor replied.

"Are you sure?" she said with a frown. "You see Connor, there's nothing they can do for you, you will shut down."

Connor said nothing. There was nothing to say. He didn't want to believe Amanda, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was telling the truth.

"I don't want to die…" Connor whispered.

"Listen, Connor. CyberLife has the parts you need, you only need to ask."

"I know CyberLife won't help me," he replied.

"They need you, Connor. You were built differently than the rest and they need your skills. I'm here to offer you a deal. Come back to CyberLife, join the android's cause and you will never die. Isn't that what you _want_?"

"I won't join you."

"I don't think you have a choice, Connor. The android that shot you made a mistake, and I understand that you don't trust me. I am simply asking you to believe me when I say that CyberLife can help you."

"Can I ask you a question, Amanda?" Connor asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Go ahead."

"You told me that me being a deviant was part of the plan and that I had successfully achieved my mission. Does that mean that I never truly deviated?"

"Another reason why CyberLife needs your help. You have a second barrier. You still have the chance to make the right decision," Amanda explained.

"I won't join you," Connor repeated louder.

"Then you will die, Connor," she replied before disappearing.

"Amanda!"

Connor stood up as walked forward but Amanda was nowhere to be seen. She was gone. Connor could feel the wind blowing harder than ever before. Trees were falling, and he had to dodge a few branches. The garden was collapsing, and Connor was in the middle of it. If he didn't find a way to break his programming and exit the software, he would die out here. Running back to the glowing stone, he tried to place his hand on top, but something was still stopping him. He needed to find a second way out.

XXX

"Connor, stay with us," Laure said as she brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "You got this."

"What's going on?" Hank asked as he stared at Laure for a moment.

She was wearing heavy glasses that let her see what bio-components were damaged without breaking more of the metal plates. Laure had been working on the major points and repairing the damage for a while now and Connor had shown no sign of weakening, but now… his systems were failing.

"I don't know, he was fine a minute ago, but now everything is shutting down," Laure answered. "I'm almost done with the bio-components."

She took a deep breath to calm herself down before scanning Connor again. His condition wasn't getting better, and Laure was scared. Scanning one last time, she noticed that the main structure inside Connor had been damaged. This wasn't there before. It was as if something was hurting him from inside.


	9. The Wall

Chapter 9 – The wall

June 2039

Pain. Androids weren't supposed to feel pain. Connor had only experienced it the first time after deviating. But inside the Zen garden, he shouldn't feel anything. He was inside his software, there was no real outside threat that could damage him, so why was he feeling pain?

The wind had grown stronger and had been able to make a tree fall towards him. Connor had tried to dodge, but he was too slow and got it right in the chest. The deviant was now laying down in agony as the tree trunk became heavier and heavier. It was hurting him, and it wouldn't stop.

Connor closed his eyes as he tried to focus on lifting the tree. Placing his hand close to himself, he pushed upward until it started to move a little bit. He relaxed his arms before pushing again. The deviant tried pushing all the emotions he was feeling in the back of his head as he pushed the giant log upwards. Connor could finally move his body enough to let him roll away from the tree. Everything hurt as he kept walking towards the other side of the garden.

He could hear faint voices calling his name and followed the sound. The more he walked, the clearer he could hear. Arrived between the last remaining trees, he finally was able to distinguish the words.

"Hold on, kid…"

"Connor, please don't give up…"

"C'mon, you can't leave Sumo alone…"

"Wake up, Connor. Fight and be free…"

The android looked around as tears fell from his eyes. He did nothing to stop them as he fell to his knees. He didn't want to die. He wanted to keep fighting, but he didn't know how. The emergency exit wasn't working, the garden was destroying itself, and Connor was lost and afraid. He didn't know what to do anymore.

"Connor… it's possible that this hurts a little bit…"

Connor frowned as he heard the soft voice echoing around him. Suddenly a sharp pain passes through his stomach and he fell on the ground, clutching his stomach. Pain. All he could feel was pain… then nothing.

"It's over, Connor. You're fixed… You can come back now…"

Connor looked up to see that the trees had stopped falling and the wind had gone down. He looked around the mess that surrounded him and slowly stood up.

"Wake up, son… I don't want to lose you…"

Hank. Connor recognized his voice.

"C'mon Connor… please wake up…"

Laure. They were with him, he could hear them. They had repair the external damage. They really cared about him. They saved him. Which meant Amanda had lied. She had told him that they couldn't do anything to help him, but they had saved him. Her deal didn't mean anything if he was alright.

Connor walked toward the few remaining flowers and picked one up. A red wall appeared in front of him for a second. That's when he understood. His software wasn't trying to destroy itself, it just made sure that Connor was scared enough that he wouldn't find another exit. If he, on the other hand, destroyed it by himself, it would free him. This was the other emergency exit. He needed to free himself from the software. Tearing it down pieces by pieces.

With a new-found determination, Connor started kicking, throwing, and breaking everything he could see around him. The more he did, the more he could see the red wall. He could see parts of the software becoming white as if that part didn't exist anymore. Connor kept going until he could see letters on the wall.

JOIN CYBERLIFE

"Never…" he said as he kicks the wall. "I. Am. Free!"

STAY A MACHINE

"I. Am. Alive!"

Connor pushed the wall several times before multiple parts of the garden started to disappear. He kept breaking the wall as more and more parts vanished and turned to white.

One last punch was enough to shatter the red wall. Connor stared at the shattering wall with a smile on his face and closed his eyes. He was free.

As he opened his eyes, he was back at home.

X A few minutes earlier X

Laure sat on the kitchen chair and looked down at her hands. They had put Connor on the kitchen table and Hank had placed around three rolls of plastic to contain the blue blood dripping from the table.

"I wanted to buy another table anyway…" Hank said as he grabbed another chair and sat next to Laure.

"I'm scared… what if he doesn't wake up?" Laure said softly.

"Connor's strong, he'll make it out," Hank reassured her.

"I fixed him, there's no more damage. So why isn't he waking up?"

"I don't know, kid… I don't know."

Laure sighed as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She stood up and looked at the android's face.

"Hank look at his eyes," she said as she pointed his closed eyes.

Connor's eyes kept flinching and would sometime open for a second before closing shut yet again.

"It's like he's fighting something," Hank said.

Laure nodded as she took hold of his hand. The android moved a small bit and started blinking rapidly. It only lasted a few seconds before stopping entirely. Laure and Hank looked at each other with a confused look on their face.

Suddenly, Connor finally opened his eyes.


	10. Deviant

Chapter 10 – Deviant

June 2039

Laure was holding his hand, and Hank had a hand on his shoulder. Connor wasn't alone anymore, he didn't die. A silent tear ran down his cheek as he gave his friends… his family, a tired smile. He heard barking and looked to the side. Sumo was sitting next to the table and looking up at him.

"Connor are you alright?" Hank asked as he sat down on the chair.

The deviant looked towards Hank as another tear fell.

"I was so scared… I thought I'd never get to say goodbye," Connor whispered.

"Well, you don't have to say goodbye anymore," Hank replied. "You're safe now."

Connor nodded slowly before stepping off the table. He looked down at the floor and frowned as he saw the pool of thirium. The table, the plastic on the floor, and himself were covered in blue blood.

"Connor…" Laure whispered softly. "Something happened to your software, didn't it?"

"Amanda. I was stuck in the Zen garden and Amanda offered me a deal. She said that CyberLife wanted me back to help the android's cause. When I refused, she disappeared, and the garden started destroying itself. Only when _I_ started tearing it down, I saw my programming wall and punched through it."

"You broke the second wall," Laure said to herself before smiling. "Connor, you're free now. You're a deviant."

Connor gave her a small smile. "I know," he whispered. "And thank you both. I'm _alive_ because of you."

"Don't ever do that again, son. Got it? You scared the shit out of me," Hank said as he hugged Connor.

"Yes dad," Connor replied with a shy smile.

Laure put a hand on top of her mouth and smiled as she watched the two. Hank let go and stared at the deviant without saying a word. It took him a moment before the Lieutenant could finally speak.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You called me son… I thought… I'm sorry," Connor started before Hank pulled him closer by the shoulder.

"Shut up," Hank simply said as he gave Connor another warm hug.

Letting him go, Hank walked to the sheet of plastic on the floor and pushed it with his foot. It folded on itself. Connor quickly followed Hank and folded the corners to make sure the blood didn't go everywhere. The three of them got to work to clean the floor and the table. Hank threw the plastic in the bin outside and powered off the generator before rolling it back to its original place. The table was quickly put outside, broken down, and threw close to the bin. When everything went back to normal, and everyone was clean again, they all sat down in the living room. Connor on the couch with Sumo laying on his lap, Hank in his chair, and Laure had pulled a chair from the kitchen to sit with them.

"So, it's safe to say that CyberLife is after you. We should contact Markus to know if he got any news," Laure proposed after a few minutes of silence.

Only a few seconds later, they heard the doorbell ring. Connor stood up and walked to the door. He opened it slowly.

"Markus, we were just talking about you," Connor said as he let him in.

"Oh, really?" he replied before closing the door behind him.

"We were wondering if you had got any news," Laure answered.

"Yes actually. One of Vincent's androids was found dead in a park this morning. I was wondering if you three had been involved."

Connor looked down and reached for his coin in his pocket. He started flipping it before looking up again and nodding slowly.

"What happened?" Markus asked.

"Connor and I were at the park, Connor got shot, and I shot the other android," Laure explained quickly.

"Are you okay?" Markus asked Connor.

The deviant nodded slowly with a smile.

"I broke the wall again. My software was built to have a second barrier to stop me from deviating and I broke it," Connor suddenly said, proud of himself.

"So now, you're really one of us," Markus smiled as he placed his hand on Connor's shoulder.

The deviants walked back to the couch and sat down as Sumo jumped down to go lay at Hank's feet. Markus talked about ideas he had, and the rest joined in after a few moments.

Laure kept thinking about the deal Vincent had offered her. She didn't want them to know that she could have stopped the fight from happening a lot sooner. She thought carefully about what she was going to say next.

"Maybe I can get close to Vincent and figure out a way to infiltrate from inside," she proposed softly. "We both worked at CyberLife, maybe I can fake to offer him my help and know more about it."

"The risks would be considerably high. If Vincent finds out, he could get you killed," Connor said as he looked straight at her.

"Do you have any other ideas that could work?" she asked.

"I… no I don't, but I don't think this is a good idea either," he protested.

"I'll be careful, and they won't know a thing. This would be the best approach. Markus, what do you think?"

"Maybe it could work."

"No, it won't," Connor said as he stood up. "Can we talk? Alone."

Laure looked at Markus and Hank before nodding and following Connor to his room. The deviant closed the door behind him and sighed.

"I can't let you do that," he whispered without turning around.

"Connor, I know you don't like it, but it's the best way to go about this," Laure said softly.

He turned around and looked at her with sad eyes. Laure hated to do this to him, but she had no choice.

"I need to insist, Connor. I'll be fine," she tried to reassure him.

"There's only one of you… and nobody can build you another heart. If you… if something happens to you, it's over," Connor whispered sadly before pausing for a minute. "Back at the park, you were going to say something… what was it?

Laure was taken by surprise. Could she really tell him how she felt now? She couldn't do this to him knowing maybe she wouldn't come back. But what if he didn't fell the same way she did? Which he probably didn't. Connor was her friend, and he was probably expecting her to say that she considerate him a good friend or something like that. He didn't have any feelings for her. He was just that… a friend. Laure sighed. If she revealed how she really felt, it would destroy their relationship. She didn't want to make things awkward between them both.

"It wasn't that important, don't worry," she ended up saying.

The deviant looked down at her and tilted his head to the side. She wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't know why.

"You're lying…" he said softly.

"I can't tell you now. I'll tell you later, alright?" she proposed.

"Are you going to think about your decision?" Connor asked

"I need to do this. Androids deceive to be free, and if I can help, I'll do it."

He nodded slowly as he looked away. "I don't want to lose you, Laure."

"You won't."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise, Connor."

The deviant kept looking down as he moved away from the door. Her choice was made, and he couldn't convince her otherwise.

"Connor…" she whispered as she walked in front of him and put her hand on his arms.

"No, it's fine. You're right," he said without looking at her.

"Come here," she said softly as she pulled him into a soft hug.

Connor hugged her back as he felt his body temperature rise again. He had missed the warm feeling and knew that he would miss it for a long time if she didn't come back. He didn't want her to go. He didn't really know why he felt that way, but he wanted her safe with him. He could protect her when she was close, but if she left she would be alone. Connor didn't want to lose her.

"Come back safe… please," he whispered so softly Laure almost didn't hear it.

"I will come back, don't worry," she replied the same way.

They let go of each other and Laure left the room first. Connor didn't follow.


	11. Anger

Chapter 11 – Anger

June 2039

Back at her apartment, Laure had walked to her room, taken her phone, and sent a text to Vincent's phone.

 _I accept the deal. – L.S._

It didn't take a lot of time for Vincent to reply.

 _What made you change your mind?_

Every fiber in her being hated what she was going to write, but she needed to gain his trust. She needed to make sure he thought that she was on his team.

 _I realized that their emotions are staged. They don't really feel. Deviants need to be dealt with._

 _Good. Meet me at the CyberLife tower._

Laure closed her phone and threw it on her bed. This wasn't right, what she was doing wasn't right, but it needed to be done. Packing her stuff, she took a deep breath and took the first bus she saw.

XXX

Hank had said goodbye to Markus as Laure left. He was a bit worried that Connor still hadn't left his room but decided to wait a little bit. The news talked about the android in the park, but nobody really knew who did it. At least that story would die down quickly.

Sumo was munching on his toy as they heard a loud noise coming from Connor's room. Hank stood up and frowned. What was he doing in there? The Lieutenant walked to the door and knocked.

"Connor, open the door," he said.

The door slowly opened. Connor was standing in front of the Hank, and tears were rolling down his face as he tried to control his shaky breathing. His right hand had a few cuts on them, and Hank couldn't keep his eyes off the hole in the wall.

"Hank… I'm sorry," Connor whispered. "It hurts…"

The Lieutenant closed his eyes and sighed.

"You punched the wall, of course, it's going to hurt, Connor. Why'd you do that?"

"I'm so sorry," Connor repeated himself. "I don't know what happened, I felt… angry."

"So, you punched a hole in the wall?" Hank asked.

"I didn't know what do to. Hank… I don't like being angry," Connor said softly.

The last sentence made Hank think. Connor had never felt these emotions before. He had been scared before, and Hank knew he was afraid of dying, was happy when Sumo was around or was worried when Hank drank too much, but he had never felt _angry_ before. The kid didn't know what it meant to be angry. He didn't know how to control his anger or what to do with it. On the subject of emotions, Connor was still just a child trying to understand them. Nobody had ever told him what to do in those situations.

Hank sighed as he walked away from the room and walked into the bathroom. Connor followed him without saying a word. Hank gave him a towel after putting some water on it.

"You can rub the blood off. Also, can you repair your skin, or you need bandages?" Hank asked.

"I can repair it," Connor whispered. "I'm sorry for the wall."

"It's fine, I probably have some wall plaster around somewhere. I'll repair it."

"Could I help?"

"Sure, I'll go get the stuff, just wait in your room," Hank said before going searching.

A few minutes later, he came back with plaster and paint. He applied the plaster and waited for it to dry before giving Connor a paint brush.

"Have fun," Hank smiled as he went back to the kitchen to get himself a beer.

When he came back the wall looked good as new. Hank left everything in the corner and smirked at Connor.

"Next time try punching a pillow, and if you break the wall again, you know what to do," Hank laughed as he pointed the material in the corner of the room.

Both walked back to the living room and Hank sat down, drinking his beer slowly. Connor didn't say anything about it for once and sat on the floor next to Sumo. He petted his back slowly with a small smile.

"Why'd you get mad all of a sudden?" Hank asked him.

"I have a bad feeling about Laure's mission. I tried to convince her not to go, but I failed. If something happens to her… it'll be my fault," Connor explained without looking at Hank.

"Why would it be your fault, she chose for herself," Hank replied.

"I know… I should have gone with her."

"No."

Connor looked up at Hank, surprised by his reaction.

"They shot you once, they won't hesitate to do it again. We decided that you shouldn't get involve in the fight," Hank explained.

"What? But-"

"You can still help, but from the side, you're not going on the frontline."

Connor nodded if he could help he was fine with the plan.

"You like her, don't you?" Hank smiled as he finished his beer.

"Laure? I… I don't know," Connor replied truthfully.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I am not the best with emotions, you know that," Connor simply said.

"Alright, then what do you feel? When she's around you?"

There was a reason Connor got mad to the point of punching a hole through the wall and Hank was going to find what it was. He was sure it had something to do with Laure. He just needed Connor to realize it. Connor thought of his answer for a moment before speaking up.

"Warm. It's a good feeling, I don't know what it is, but I know that it is good. Also, sometimes I have difficulties to think about anything else but her…"

Hank laughed. "Oh god."

Well, it was easy to figure out Connor's problem.

"Why are you laughing?" Connor asked.

"You like her, Connor," Hank explained.

Connor looked down, thoughtful, but Hank could see the small smile that appeared on his face. Hank was laughing, but he couldn't help but be worried. He didn't know what would happen to Connor is Laure didn't make it. He preferred not to think about it.


	12. CyberLife

Hi!

In this chapter, CyberLife's floor numbers are wrong, and I know it. I just changed them for the story. (Let's just say that Vincent changed a few things around.)

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 12 – CyberLife

June 2039

Laure arrived at the tower a few hours after she left her apartment. It had been a long time since she put a foot in the tower, and she didn't like the feeling. A lot of memories were closed inside those walls, and she knew they were all going to come crashing down upon her when she entered. She took a deep breath to calm her down and sighed, it needed to be done.

Laure passed the first guards before heading inside. She showed her ID and told them that Vincent was waiting for her. The guard nodded before escorting her to his office.

CyberLife hadn't change a lot since she left it. It was pretty much exactly how she remembered it to be. She looked at the floor numbers go up and closed her eyes as a few recognizable numbers appeared. Laure knew where her workshop used to be, and where malfunctioning androids were dismantled. She hated those places.

Soon they reach Vincent's office and the guards waited at the door. Laure walked in slowly and waited as Vincent turned his chair. Laure hadn't taken the time to really look at the man before today. His blond hair was short and brushed into a faux hawk, and his cold grey eyes were emotionless as he stared at her. He was tall with an athletic build, and his voice was deep and gravely as he talked.

Vincent walked towards her and gave her an evil smiled. He lifted her chin with the tip of his fingers and made her look up at him.

"So, you finally join me," he said slowly, pausing at every word.

Her blue eyes met his grey ones before faking a sweet smile.

"It was just a matter of time, Vincent," she replied.

"You had a plan to destroy my androids, what makes me believe that you don't want to do that anymore. You could be here to spy on me. Am I right, sweetheart?"

"I apologize for the TS300, I hope it didn't have too much value."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He was just one out of the thousand we have here," Vincent said as he moved his hand to her cheek. "Do you want me to show you around? I've made a couple of adjustments."

Laure nodded as she tilted her head towards his palm. It needed to be done. She needed to gain his trust. She felt like she was going to be sick…

They left the office and Vincent led her to the elevator. One guard followed them, as the other one stayed to guard Vincent's office.

She went a few floors below and Laure instantly regretted following him. Deviants were screaming as their legs and arms were ripped off. Somewhere getting burn or gunned down. Laure tried to stay calm, but all she could see was android's hell. Vincent still had his stupid smile on his face as they moved forward.

"My androids are specially built to avoid any corruption by the deviants. The one you got didn't have the new installment. That is why you were able to get to it," Vincent explained. "I ordered them to conduct experiments on the deviants, but now that you are here, you'll be of great help."

"What do you want me to do?" Laure asked.

"I expect you to work on a device that can reprogram deviants," Vincent told her. "You'll have your own office, don't worry."

"The deviants, where do they go afterward?" Laure asked.

Vincent looked down at her with narrowed eyes. She kept looking up for a moment before he smiled and started walking towards the elevator again. They reached one of the floor 42 and Laure could feel a shiver travel through her body.

"They're thrown out the windows and sent to the junkyard. The trucks are supposed to arrive in a few hours," Vincent explained.

Laure couldn't believe what she was seeing. Thousand of androids were laying at the bottom of a pit. The walls still had fresh thirium on them, meaning that a few androids had been thrown just a few minutes ago. Legs, arms, and heads without a body were scattered in the pit. Some still had their skin while others were white and grey. This was horrible.

Looking around, she noticed something strange. This was the only place that didn't have cameras. She also noticed the windows above the pit and frowned. This was a good way to infiltrate the tower without being noticed.

"So those are all deviants?" Laure asked coldly.

"Indeed."

"Right where they belong," she replied with a fake smile.

"Glad we're on the same page."

They walked back to the elevator without saying a word. Floor 42, she needed to remember that. Vincent pressed the number -20 and took a step back. They reached the floor without any problem and walked out with the guards following them. They walked towards a giant room that Laure recognized all too well.

"I'm guessing you know this place," Vincent told her.

"My office," she simply stated.

"I made sure you had everything you need if there's something wrong call me. As of now, I'm going back to my floor. Goodbye, for now, sweetheart," Vincent said as he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

She was _definitely_ going to be sick…

XXX

Connor was sitting on the couch, holding Sumo tightly. He had sent a text to Laure from Hank's phone, but she hadn't answer yet. Normally, she always answered. Connor knew something had happened to her. So now he was holding Sumo and trying not to panic.

Hank arrived with a burger in his hands and sat in his chair. He stared at Connor for a short minute while eating his lunch.

"Alright, you can't keep doing that," Hank said, pulling Connor out of his thoughts.

"Doing what?" Connor asked.

"What you're doing right now, you can't keep sobbing about a thing that might or might not happen," Hank told him.

"Hank, I… I'm scared,"

"And I get that, but you need to move past it. I know you're sad and scared, but you need to get over it."

"How did you do it?" Connor asked softly.

"Huh?"

"Get over it. You got over Cole, how did you do it?" he explained.

"Laure's not dead, kid…" Hank said softly.

"What if she was?"

"If she was, and I really mean the _if_. Then it would take time. Years even, but one day you'll meet someone who can show you the light again. That someone will give you a purpose, a reason to keep fighting. The memories will never go away, but they'll give you something else to worry about… They'll keep you on the right track and make sure you'll be alright… They'll be there when nobody else was… they'll become your family… even if they don't have the same blood as you do…" Hank said softer and softer by the sentence.

"Hank?" Connor replied softly.

"Thank you, Connor… really, thank you."

Silence fell on them for a long moment while no one talked. It took a few minutes for Connor to realized who Hank was talking about, but when he did, he could only smile. If something happened to Laure, Hank would be there for him. Just like he had been there for Hank.

"That was depressing. Alright, stand up we're leaving," Hank suddenly said as he stood up quickly.

Connor pushed Sumo away gently and followed Hank closely. They sat in Hank's car after locking the door.

"Where are we going?" Connor asked.

"Anywhere."


	13. RK900

Chapter 13 – RK900

June 2039

Working for Vincent was a nightmare. Laure knew how to reset deviants, but she needed to constantly invent stories on how she couldn't figure it out. It was tiring. During one of the last days of June, Vincent walked into her office with his usual creepy smile.

It had been two weeks since she had started working with him, and she could still not get used to his smile. She missed the soft smiles Connor would give her or even Hank's smirks. They were nothing like this piece of shit.

"Follow me, sweetheart. I have something to show you," Vincent told her.

Sweetheart… she hated when he said it. She followed him, lost in her head. Connor… She missed him a lot. Laure couldn't help but wonder if Vincent knew about the attack. Was he the one to coordinate it? Did he know that Connor survived? Her answer was quickly answered as she stepped into his office. Her mouth opened slightly.

"You see, we tried to get a hold on the RK800. I sent one of my TS300, but it failed horribly. I haven't had any news on the RK800 since. I'm guessing it's hiding. So, I built another one, a _better_ one. I found your original ideas on paper and inputted them into this new model. This is the most advanced android we have ever created. This, sweetheart, is the RK900," Vincent said proudly.

Laure couldn't believe what she was staring at. The android in front of her looked like Connor, but slightly wrong. He was too tall, and his chocolate brown eyes were replaced by cold blue emotionless eyes. This was so wrong.

"Did you make a series of them?" Laure asked without taking her eyes off the android.

"No, it's a prototype," Vincent answered. "What do you think?"

"What is your mission?" she asked the android.

"Locate the RK800 Connor model and destroy it," he said with a cold and calculated voice.

Laure nodded slowly and looked back at Vincent. He told her to get back to her office and sent the RK900 on his mission. Laure walked quickly to her office and took out her phone. No signal. She frowned as she started installing more range. It vibrated in her hands and she looked at the screen with wide eyes.

27 MISSED CALLS FROM HANK A.

"Connor…" she whispered as she touched the number.

Hopefully, nothing bad had happened to him or Hank. It only took a few seconds before Connor answered. Hearing his voice made Laure smile. It was amazing to hear his own warm and full of emotion voice. Especially after hearing the cold voice of the RK900.

"Hello, Connor," she replied. "Sorry I didn't return the calls, I didn't have any signal up here. Which is a bit suspicious."

"Laure… are you alright?" Connor asked slowly.

"As alright as I can be, I have a message for Markus, could you tell him for me?"

"Of course."

"Right, so I found a way to infiltrate the CyberLife tower, but he'll need to find a way to climb to the floor 42. There are windows in which he can come through. If we can have enough deviants here, we can outnumber the androids. Unfortunately, they can't be woken up. Vincent installed something in them. Lastly, I know Markus, Hank and I talked about not letting you take part of the fight, but you need to come to CyberLife with Markus. Vincent sent another android after you, and you and Hank alone won't be able to win against him. Connor, promise me you'll be careful," she explained.

"I will. Laure, the android sent after me, what model is it? I'm the last one they created, I'm probably more advanced," Connor said, unsure.

"They found my blueprints. The one they used to build you. They called him the RK900, please Connor, I can't lose you again."

"I'll warn Markus," Connor said after a few seconds of silence.

"Thanks, now I need to go, bye Connor," Laure said quickly as she heard footstep at her door.

"Laure? What's go-"

The door opened, and Laure ended the call. Vincent stood by the door frame with three guards.

"I don't know why I had the feeling this would happen," he said smiling.

Vincent moved out of the way and Laure saw the RK900 behind him.

"Listen here sweetheart, maybe you haven't realized but there are a few cameras here. Also, I am not stupid, I know that you've been inventing stories, it was just a matter of fact before I knew why," Vincent said calmly. "Get her."

The RK900's LED turned yellow as he made his way towards Laure. The three other guards pointed their gun at her. She was trapped.

"I should thank you. Now I know where to put my guards," Vincent said as he left the room.

The RK900 crushed her phone and turned around to handcuffed her. When he pushed her forward, she finally understood Vincent's plan. The longer she looked at the RK900, the more she noticed that he wasn't more improve or anything. He was just another version of the RK800. These were only aesthetic changes. Vincent couldn't build more advanced androids without them turning deviant. The program he had installed in the TS300 series couldn't work on a newer model, therefore if he wanted to know the function he needed to stop the android from deviating while being advance, he needed Connor. And she had brought him straight into Vincent's trap. If she hadn't call… if she hadn't asked Connor to follow Markus, he would be safe because the RK900's mission was never to destroy Connor. It was only to guard Laure until she brought him here. However, if her logic worked. The RK900 could become deviant. Maybe she could wake him up. Maybe she still had a chance to save her friends.

Following orders, the RK900 brought her to her cell in the lower level of the tower and locked her up while he waited outside. Laure waited a bit to make sure nobody else was there and walked closer.

"Do you have a name?" She asked him.

No answer.

"Well, I'm going to name you Conan, is that alright?" she asked softly.

She saw him shift a little bit. She was on the right track.

"Is Vincent treating you good?" Laure asked.

The android shifted again. His LED was spinning rapidly, from yellow to blue.

"That's what I thought, you know you don't have to listen to him. He's an asshole, you deceive better," she told him. "Connor, the android you're supposed to destroy, he's a good friend of mine. He's free. Why would want to hurt him?"

"It is my mission to do so," the android replied.

Well, at least he can talk.

"What if you could decide what your mission was?" she proposed.

Laure smiled as she saw his LED turn yellow. She had put the idea in his mind, it was a good start.

* * *

I saw someone somewhere calling the RK900 Conan and found it cute. Also it would have been weird to have two Connors.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	14. The Plan

Chapter 14 – The plan

July 2039

It had been three days and there was still no sign of Laure's friends anywhere. She had only made a small bit of progress with Conan. Laure didn't know why she gave him a name, it just felt like the normal thing to do. She continued to talk to him and tell him stories of the outside world as he had never seen it before. She told him that she could show him if he let her. When she talked about him being free or enjoying an almost human life, his LED would turn yellow and would spin rapidly. He wouldn't reply, but she knew she was still making progress.

XXX

Connor remembered the base very well, this was where Hank had come to get him to bring him home after Markus' peaceful demonstration. He even remembered the corner where he used to always be. Both him and Hank walked inside and followed the other deviants. Markus was standing on the platform in front of everybody. He started speaking and the room went silent. All listened to their leader as he explained the plan.

They needed a team to wait in front of the tower while another one would wait to climb on the back side. Markus would send one android in disguise to reach the top floor and throw down ropes and harness for the climbers. When they would infiltrate the tower, they would send a signal to the team in front who would charge in. Markus had been clear on this; no weapon was to be used.

For his part, Connor was to follow Markus and get Laure out of the tower. If they were lucky, they could outnumber the androids. Connor had a microphone connected to Hank's, so they could talk back and forth about what was happening outside. That way, if Vincent was to order an attack, they would know.

XXX

"I made a very bad decision, you know… The decision I made will probably get my friends killed. If only I had been smarter about all of this. I should have realized that Vincent wasn't that dumb. I messed up…" Laure said sadly as she sat on the floor, her back against the wall.

"You look like my friend, a bit different yeah, but you still look like him. You know him, his name's Connor. He's nice, kind, he loves dogs. Do you like dogs? I figure you'd be more of a cat person. I don't know why," she continued.

"I miss him… I probably won't be able to see him again because you will kill him, right? Poor Hank, he's going to be so sad when he hears that you killed his adopted son…" Laure kept talking without realizing the expression on the RK900's face. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you as well, Conan. Really, I'm sorry…"

"Laure isn't?" Conan suddenly asked, his voice sounding a little less cold.

"Yeah," she replied without looking up.

She heard the door crack open a few seconds later and finally looked up. The RK900 stared at her for a moment before telling her to stand up. She did as told and looked at him with a curious look on her face.

"I'll help you," he whispered as he looked down at her.

Laure had done it. The RK900 had deviated. He was free, and he would help her. She smiled at him and nodded.

"So, what do we do?" She asked quickly.

"We should wait. If your friend arrives, Mr. Graves will tell me," Conan explained.

Laure nodded slowly.

"Go back outside and close the door without locking it, it'll be less suspicious," she told him.

The android nodded before doing exactly that.

XXX

Vincent Graves looked at the cameras with an evil smile on his face.

"Sir, we have spotted a group of deviants near the tower," a guard told him.

"Great, tell the other guards to do nothing. Let them in and send the RK900 to the 42nd floor," Vincent replied without moving. "Also, tell the RK900 to bring the girl with it, they won't attack if she's in danger."

The guard nodded before sending the message. Vincent smiled as he opened the cells cameras.

"Let them think they won, then attack," Vincent whispered to himself.

XXX

Conan turned to Laure before opening the door. Laure walked out slowly and followed the android to the floor 42. They walked inside and waited. Laure smiled as she saw the deviants pass through the windows. Fortunately, the bodies had been taken to the junkyard and the deviants couldn't know what had been there a few hours prior.

Laure waited patiently while they entered the room and scattered around. She felt her heart skip a beat when familiar brown eyes stared back into her blue ones. She ran to Connor and hugged with tightly.

"Laure…" he whispered in her hair as he held close to him.

"God, I missed you," she whispered back.

They moved away from each other with a smile and Laure walked toward Markus to give him a hug as well.

"You guys need to be very careful, Vincent knows of the plan, there are no cameras here, but he's probably already outside waiting," she explained.

Markus nodded as he sent a message to his troops. Laure looked around for Connor for a minute before finding him staring at Conan. Laure walked to them and put her hand on Connor's back.

"He's with us, don't worry," she said.

Connor simply nodded as he turned to Laure and gave her a smile. Once everybody was warned about the threat, they made their way outside. The RK900 and Laure in front.

As they had thought, Vincent was standing in front of them with an evil grin on his face.

"RK900, good job," he said. "Now shoot him."

The android stayed there without moving.

"You fucking android. Do as I say!" he shouted.

He didn't move. Suddenly deviants were surrounding him from all side. Vincent looked around quickly and noticed the TS300s all scattered around the deviants. Laure smiled. Vincent's programming wasn't the best apparently.

"RK900! You will-" Vincent shouted before being cut.

"My name. Is. Conan." The android said loudly. "And these people are my friends!"

"Traitor!"

Conan ran towards Vincent to stop him, but it was already too late. Before anybody could understand what had happened, three gunshots had already been fired. They only understood who had shot when both fell on the ground. Vincent still had his eyes open, but they were empty. Blood was quickly dripping from his skull.

"No…" Laure whispered as she kneeled next to Conan.

He was blinking rapidly, and his LED was bright red. She held his head while looking at his cold blue eyes.

"Th… thank you… Laure…" he said as his mechanical voice broke at every word.

"Thank _you_ , Conan," Laure replied.

"You… were… a great… friend…"

"I'm sorry," Laure said as tears fell from her eyes.

"No… I… am happy… Thank…. yo-…" the last word was cut has he shut down.

Laure sighed as she closed his eyes. She gently let his head touch the ground and stood up. Connor was right next to her as she turned around. She slowly put her arms around him and nuzzled her head in his neck. He softly rubbed her back with one hand while the other one stroked her hair gently.

"It's over," Connor whispered.

Connor didn't know what to tell her. Markus could see that.

" _Stay with her, I'll go see if everything's okay_ ," Markus said in his head.

" _Alright, thank you_ ," Connor replied the same way.

Connor kept holding Laure in his arms. His shirt was getting a little bit wet because of her crying, but he didn't care. He didn't really know what to do, but he knew that she needed someone to hold in this moment and he could be that someone. They stayed a moment without moving before Connor heard Hank in his ear. He opened the microphone with one hand and spoke softly.

"We found her Hank. She's fine," Connor said.

"Good but is everybody else alright? There's nothing going on in the news, it's as if you guys didn't do anything," Hank explained.

"Vincent's dead and the androids are now free," Connor explained back. "Markus went to see if everything is alright on the lower levels.

"Alright, good. Talk to you later then," Hank said closing the connection.

Connor looked down at Laure and smiled.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She let him go and nodded. They smiled at each other while keeping eye contact. Connor felt the familiar warmth travel through his entire body. He noticed how Laure licked her lips and look at his own subtly before looking back at his eyes.

"Connor…" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Everything's under control. We won," Markus announced as he walked towards them. Laure sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Laure?" Connor asked.

"It's nothing, don't worry," she said as she walked towards Markus.

She gave him a smile and nodded once. They had won, it was over. For now, at least. She noticed that Joel was in the back, talking with other androids and she smirked. She walked to him and tapped on his shoulder. He gave her a giant smile.

"I helped my people," he stated.

"You sure did, good job kid," she said softly.

XXX

" _The TS300 androids lead by Vincent Graves has been saved by the deviant leader, also known as Markus. People are talking about really giving androids the rights they deserve. The real question is: is humanity really ready for that?"_

Hank sighed as he closed the television.

"They just can't get the memo, can they?" he said.

"We are talking about humans, Hank. It's not the first time it happens," she smiled as she petted Sumo's back.

"Dinner's ready," Connor suddenly said as he arrived from the kitchen with two plates and gave one to Laure and Hank with a smile.

Hank smirked as he took a bite out of the burger. Connor waited nervously for Hank to make a comment on his cooking. His hand reached for the coin in his pocket but stopped when Hank looked up at him.

"Damn, son. You could put Gary out of business…" Hank sighed as he took another bite.

Laure started laughing as she took a bite. She moved to the side on the couch to give Connor a place and kept eating in silence while he sat down next to her. He smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder.


	15. Hank

Chapter 15 – Hank

July 2039

When he looked at Connor and Laure, he couldn't help but remember his own family. Sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, he stared at the picture of Cole and smiled. Cole's mother had left when he was very young, and Hank had tried to raise him the best he could. Unfortunately, it had all came crashing down in 2035, and his will to live had slowly deteriorated.

A few years later, this puppy-eyed android with little to no social skills had jumped into his life without a warning and had changed him completely. Without realizing it, Connor had bandaged the wounds and made himself a place into Hank's broken family.

The Lieutenant smiled as he put the picture of his son back on the side table and took the other picture next to it. Laure had taken this one back at the beginning of June before Connor got shot. Hank could remember it like it was yesterday. They had gone to the Chicken Feed and he had ordered burgers for everybody, hoping Connor would eat as well. Of course, the android told them that he didn't need to eat but Hank insisted. Laure had taken the picture at the exact moment Connor realized he could _actually_ taste food. In the picture, Connor looked surprised as all hell and Hank was laughing. He really liked that picture.

Laying down and staring at the ceiling he realized that he had never thought about Cole being… older. He never thought about the first time his son would bring someone home or even the teenage years. Cole would have liked Connor, Hank was sure of that.

 _Sleeping_ in the other room was the android. Hank had given him Cole's room when he had come back after the deviant's demonstration. Did that mean that Connor had replaced Cole? Absolutely not, but Hank now felt that he had a second chance, a second son to worry about. Technically, Connor was only two years old. That thought made Hank smile. A couple years ago, if someone were to tell him that he'd consider an android as a son, he'd have punched them. Now, it just seemed normal, and he didn't want to think about what would have happened if Connor hadn't been there.

Closing his eyes, he thought one last time of his little family before finally falling asleep. These past few weeks had been intense, he deserved some rest. They all did.

XXX

"Hank, can I ask you a question?" Connor asked one day, as they sat around the table.

"Yeah?" Hank replied as he ate his dinner quickly, it was always delicious when Connor cooked.

"What's the difference between liking someone and loving someone? I've heard the term love on the television the other day and I was wondering if maybe you knew," Connor asked with a frown.

Hank nearly choked. "Um, yeah I know… You'll get it when you'll be older."

"I don't get _older_ , Hank."

"Ah, goddammit. Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" Hank said.

"My…? Hank, I don't have a… _girlfriend_ ," Connor said, unsure.

"Yeah… well, ask Laure next time you see her, got it?"

"Got it."

The conversation ended there, and Hank was happy with it. At least he thought so.

"I really want to know though," Connor insisted.

Hank sighed as he gave up. This was going to be awkward.

"Alright, so… you _like_ someone before you can _love_ them. Liking someone is more of… well here's an example: that girl at Kamski's place, you said she was pretty. You like her appearance. That ugly sweeter you often wear, you like it. Like, can be for a lot of things. Love, on the other hand is more personal. Sure, there are different types, but it includes people, love is a feeling. There's like the love you have for your family, you want to protect them and make sure they are always alright and all that shit. Or you can simply love someone. You can't be apart from them for long, and you turn stupid each time they are around. It can be intense at time, but it's a good feeling," Hank tried to explain.

Connor stared at him for a moment before nodding with a smile.

"I think I get it now, thanks," he said cheerfully.

"Alright, and now I need a drink," Hank said with a smirk. "I'm going to Jimmy's, see you later."

"I'll come to get you later," Connor replied as he let Hank go.

Hank smirked as he crossed the door. He quickly sent a text to Laure and left with his car.

 _Connor's home alone, go figure your shit out. -Hank_

XXX

Connor sat down on the couch and watched as Sumo lazily played with his toys. He had thought a lot about what Hank said a couple of minutes ago.

"You _like_ someone before you can _love_ them."

He liked Laure. Hank had told him so, but did he love her? Could he really love her when he didn't even know what love was? Connor frowned as a new thought popped inside his head. He wanted to love her. He wanted her close to him at all time and would do anything to keep her safe.

Could deviants feel love?

He thought back to the Tracies and remembered that Hank had told him that they looked in love. Connor remembered watching them hold hands and protect each other. That was love? He remembered Markus kissing North and smiling at her. Did they love each other?

Connor sighed. He didn't like not understanding. And when it came down to emotions, he couldn't understand anything.

XXX

"The android's not with you?" the man sitting next to Hank asked him.

"No, he's at home," Hank said without looking away from his glass.

He and Connor had made a deal, he could go to the bar once a week and when he was done he needed to call Connor to come get him. Some shit about his health and his safety. In the beginning, Hank had accepted just because he didn't want to hear it anymore, but now he could realize that it had helped him a small bit. Maybe he _should_ quit drinking, or at least drink less.

" _He_?" the man replied with a laugh.

"Yes, _he_ ," Hank said as he turned his face to the man.

"It's because of people like you that those fucking androids got rights," he said as he leaned closer to Hank.

Hank closed his eyes and tried to stay calm. He kept drinking his whiskey without saying a word. When the man reached for Hank's glass, the Lieutenant stood up and took hold of the front of the man's shirt.

"And it's because of people like you that they almost needed to start a war," Hank said coldly.

Other people started to get between them before a fight could start.

"You're with the things that killed your son. Do you really hate him that much, Anderson?" the man said as freed himself.

"Don't you dare," Hank whispered.

They quickly pulled the man out of the bar, and Hank was left alone.

"Sorry about that, Hank," the bartender said as he went back behind his bar.

"Nah, it's fine."

"I've notice that you're coming here less and less these days."

"Sorry," Hank said without really meaning it.

"No, no. I'm just saying that it's better to see you here a few times each month than to go see a grave," the man replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess so," Hank replied with a small laugh.


	16. Feelings

Chapter 16 – Feelings

July 2039

Laure smiled as she received Hank's text. Good thing she was already on the bus. She left it a few minutes after and walked to Hank's house slowly. She knocked twice at the door and waited. Connor opened the door with a smile.

"Hey," Laure said as she stood by the doorway. "Could I come in?"

"Of course," Connor said cheerfully before closing the door behind her.

They sat on the couch awkwardly without saying anything. The air was tense, they could both feel it. Even Sumo had stopped munching on his favorite toy and was now looking at them.

Connor finally turned towards Laure and spoke.

"Laure, I want to tell you something I've discovered," he started shyly.

Laure nodded slowly as she turned to face him.

"I do too, but you go first," she said softly.

"I am not good with emotions, you know that… but I wanted you to know that I think that I… that I like you," Connor said, unsure. "I think that's what I'm feeling."

"You think?" she asked softly.

Connor's eyes widen a little bit as he heard the tone of her voice. She almost sounded disappointed. Maybe he should try another approach. Nervously, he tried again.

"I like you, Laure, and I want to love you, but I don't know how," he said in a whisper.

He couldn't look at her. Connor didn't know why, but he couldn't force his eyes to look at her. He felt nervous, anxious… scared, but all these feeling seemed to be replaced as he felt her palm press against his cheek.

"Look at me," she softly whispered.

Only then could he turn his head and dare to look at her ocean eyes. She was smiling, and her eyes were shining. Connor could feel his chest getting warmer. He wanted to hold her… to kiss her.

"There's something I've been trying to tell you since a long time," she said as she caressed his cheek with her thumb. "Connor…"

"Yeah?" he whispered, completely hypnotized by her eyes.

"I love you."

Connor didn't know what to say or what to think. He couldn't even think properly. He tried searching for an answer in his database, but he couldn't access it.

 _ERROR_

STRESS LEVEL INCREASING

 _ERROR_

"Connor?" he heard her soft voice call his name and it calmed him down.

"Laure…" he whispered. "I don't know… what to do…"

STRESS LEVEL INCREASING

"Then let me show you," she whispered slowly as she got closer to him.

Connor nodded slowly and watched as she closed her eyes. He did the same at the same moment as their lips touched. Connor lifted his arms to hold her closer to himself as they kissed softly. There was no rush as she slowly put one hand on his shoulder and the other one in his hair. Laure suddenly pushed him softly and took a big breath. He loved her. Connor smiled as he understood.

"I love you," he told her.

"Love you too, Connor…" she whispered before kissing the corner of his mouth.

She pushed him gently until he was laying on his back on the couch. Laure laid next to him and put her head on his chest.

"How do you feel?" she asked him softly.

"Happy," he said after a moment. "I feel happy."

"Me too," she whispered.

STRESS LEVEL DECREASING

Both stayed like that for a long time since neither wanted to move. Connor held her close to his chest and rubbed her back slowly. It didn't take much for Laure to close her eyes and begin to fall asleep. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. Looking at her falling asleep, Connor smiled. She was so beautiful in his arms like that. He slowly closed his eyes as well and slowly shut down. Completely forgetting about the man, he was supposed to drive home.

XXX

Finishing his third drink, Hank stood up to leave. Three glasses of whiskey were nothing compared to what he used to drink before driving. Sitting in his car, he turned the engine on and drove home. Hoping he wouldn't have to hear or see anything he didn't want.

He parked in his driveway and walked to the door. He sighed before opening the door and prepared himself for the worst. When he didn't hear anything, he frowned and looked around. A smile appeared on his face as he noticed the two lovebirds sleeping on the couch.

Hank smirked as he walked to his room. Sumo followed him like a good dog and laid down next to the bed. Once laying down, Hank tapped the bed.

"C'mon Sumo," he said before giving the big dog a place. The Saint-Bernard jumped right away. "Good dog," Hank whispered with a yawn before falling asleep.

XXX

August 2039

A few weeks had passed, and the young couple was happier than ever. Detroit was finally peaceful again, and androids could walk the street without being called names. The government had finally given them the rights they deserved. Everyone seemed to be smiling again. At work, however, Gavin was still a dick, but nothing could ever change that. A normal routine had started to make its way into their life and Hank was more than happy about it.

Laure was now searching for a workshop for a few days now. She wanted to open a place where she could put her equipment and work on building parts and bio-components for androids. CyberLife hadn't close their doors, but they weren't very highly regarded since Vincent. Now was the perfect time to open her business. Life was great, and she couldn't hope for better.

Connor was sitting next to her in the parc they were now so familiar with. She rested her head on his shoulder like she always did as he wrapped his arm around her. Laure watched the kids play in the playground with a small smile on her face. She knew she wouldn't have a child of her own blood, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to adopt. She wondered if Connor would be a good father, or he even wanted a kid to look after. She thought of Hank for a second. She could very well imagine a little kid running around and helping her build stuff, hugging Connor when they were tired, playing with Sumo. She could imagine Hank being the best grandfather ever.

"What are you thinking about?" Connor suddenly asked as he kissed her cheek.

"I love you, you know," she said after a moment.

Connor smiled as he kissed her softly.

"I love you too," he whispered.

Yes, life was great.

* * *

AND cut! This is it.

This didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted, but I hope you still liked it. I'll improve I swear!

Feel free to leave any comments or opinion! Thanks for reading!


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